Our International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe is „a precious gift to all the Church and to Europe” as our beloved Pope John Paul II wrote to us in his letter in the occasion of Eurojam 2003 in Zelazko in Poland.„Precious gift”. It’s amazing that the Pope could say it about something which sometimes even to us could seem not very significant: a group of boys and girls going on Saturday to the forest to cook, to work, to play, to sing, to pray, to be togehter.But if we look at what happens in the society, in the families, how rapidly a common pedagogical sens desapears, we could really be convinced that „precious gift” language is not a mere diplomacy or compliment. It’s a reality.We are now 55 000 girls and boys in 18 european countries and in Canada. We are catholic latin and greek, protestant and orthodox. We are present even in Kamtschatka in Russia, 12 000 km from Herbstein. And what is the most important we still practice a Baden-Powell and Jacques Sevin pedagogy, with the same ethousiasm and faith that it is a very good tool to educate in the human and supernatural virtues. It’s amazing to see that everywhere people are crying for the good education for their children. And the European Scouting must say loudly: we are there to help you. By 2020, we must be 70 000 girls and boys in at least 25 countries in Europe. And in Germany, at least 3000...But let’s talk about Europe. We are Scouts of Europe, Europaische Pfadfinderschaft. We are 100% Baden-Powell, 100% catholic („a normal catholic faith in a normal catholic familiy” as Pater Honisch, R.in P., used to say), 100% German, Polish, French, Italian... and 100% European, which means simply that we try to live the universality of the Church now and here in this marvelous european continent. Yes, there is something exceiting, fascinating, amazing in the fact that we in the same time love our country and love all the good and noble things which you can find in the history, culture and aspirations of other european countries. It’s only in our International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe that we can meet togehter 100% sicilian, 100% bavarian, 100% burgundian, 100% mazovian, pray together, try to convince one another that that’s my regional beer which is the best in all the world. And then we laugh together.Yes, it’s a dream, it’s an european dream, which is not a dream of a great and efficient political organisation, I mean of course the European Union. No. It’s a catholic, christian, universal dream of the unity of the old continent, the dream of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. And before that of Adenauer, de Gasperi and Schuman. And also that of Perig Geraud-Keraood, Atillio Grieco, Pater Andreas Honisch and Maurice Ollier. All of them were perfectly French, German, Italian, but the catholic faith gave them this something which unite stronger than anything in the earth.So, when we are talking today about the International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe, about Katolische Pfadfinderschaft Europas and about the european dimension of our movement, I will say you just one thing: we are one movement accros the Europe. We are not this or that association, a kind of compromise between diffreent models and mentalities who nevertheless have decided to form some kind of unity. No, we are one movement accross the Europe. You are not KPE, you are Guides and Scouts of Europe in Germany. The Polish association is not „Zawisza” association. They are Scouts of Europe in Poland.The paradox is that in the same time, we love our national specificities. Who do not understand the importance of the national and regional traditions, will build something superficial and not authenique. Will not understand what Europe is. In the same way, in our Union we love and appreciate the national history, specificity and so on. The pedagogy and spirit is one, but the circumstances of different nations are different, so the application must be different. That’s true, but please, do not use this argument to have a kind of national „forteresse” where the common sense cannot enter, where we cannot communicate accross the frontieres. One example: it’s grace to the contacts with France, that in my group in Poland we began to sing all Polish patriotic and catholic songs, because we were touched by the love of the French scouts for their country. So we were ashamed that we do not love our beloved Poland so strongly like them and that we do not even know how to sing the most traditional and ancient Polish song „Bogurodzica”. So I do not understand the people who are afraid to meet others in our Union. It helps enorsmously. And if someone say: but listen, we are a bit provincial to excuse himself, I will answer, so am I. I am a simple boy from Radom, form the very poor workers familly, living in a comunist block like these that you always can see in Eastern Germany, a kind od Alexander Platz atmosphere. Even more, the fact that we are provincial gives us a unique opportiunity to know true, authentic, fascinating, beacuse provincial, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and so on. We are very normal people, all of us in our Union. We are not a kind of cosmopolite folk. So please, do Europe, live european dimension of our movement. We are waiting for the German guides and scouts in Poland, France, Italy. The Polish scouts are dreaming to camp in the place with the Alp panorama. We are all dreaming about Schwarzwald and Suabia. Please give us the key to Germany and ask the others with insistence to open them the doors to Polish provincial culture, popular piety, pilgrimages to Czestochowa, Spanish culture with their Cammino de Santiago and so on. But that it always be taking the contacts with the local guides and scouts of Europe. The tourism is interesting with the local friends. Without friends we are the clients of the consumption culture. These friends are waiting in Spain, Italy, Poland, Belgium, France, Russia, Slovakia, Germany, Tchequia, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Switzerland, Ukraine (which is your contribution, thank you Germany!), Bielarussia, Portugal, Canada. And we must also make scouts and guides and make to pronounce our promise in Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Great Britain, Ireland. Please not permit any summer without a common camps, wandering camps, private visits of families receiving one another in their houses, students going to Ersamus without taking a contact with a local group of guides and scouts in this country. I suppose that 2010 will not be available for this, but in 2011, I would like to see all German troops camping with foreign troops in Germany or abroad. I know that you are considering important matters concerning the relation between your national texts of the associations and the Fundamental Texts of the Union and the compatibility between them. You look how much we can depart from the Fundamental Text in favor of the national specificity. To be strictly attached or rather flexible. I would not like to enter in you internal argument. I trust you. There is no the European Commission in our Union who will come and impose you. You have friends in all the countries who at most will beg you: please Germany, stay with us, be one with us. You are the Union in Germany, you will know how to manage this important issue, a kind of apparent incompatibility between the exigence of the unity and the respect for what is seen as an important national specificity. The story of the Catholic Church is all about it. So we all have in the Union a great expert to consult with. My only desire is that you love our unity, that you love our Union, that you manage your internal affairs with the sense of the unity with other associations. Not with the spirit of ill conceived „independentism”, but with the spirit of working togehter, in order to be one with others, to learn from others, to open yourself to the experience of others, to not consider that you already know everythnig. In Poland I remember perfectly the people who were saying: the Franch will noy teach is what the scouting is, we have our rich tradition! Oh my God, yes of course, and what? It’s instructive to see what the others do, what kind of errors they commit, what problems they have. Please, have a lot of common sense. I am full of admiration what the Polish association has just done. While being the general commissioner I was too afraid to do this. They have just changed their name: from a very complicated one „Stowarzyszenie Harcerstwa Katolickiego „Zawisza” Federacja Skautingu Europejskiego” to a very simple and obvious one: Scouts of Europe.... You are the first responsible for our Union. The KPE is responsible for all the Union. Each association is the first responsible for our Union. You must have an interest to know what happens in Portugal, in Rumania. You must pray and actuvely help to implant our scouting in more countries. YOU ARE THE FEDERAL COMMISSIONERS.